


Does He Know About the Baby?

by muscatmusic18



Series: June Prompt Challenge [7]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Abortion mention, Eventual relationship, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, One Night Stands, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-20 10:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14892525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muscatmusic18/pseuds/muscatmusic18
Summary: A one night stand leads to bigger consequences than Peggy can ever imagine.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So wifi went completely down this time; good news is that there is now a new modem so this hopefully shouldn’t happen again :)

It was all a haze due to the alcohol; whispers of memories of teeth and tongues on necks, thighs, and… other places. Memories that ran through Peggy’s mind as she sat on the floor of the bathroom, waiting.

It was never supposed to happen. Her blind date turned one night stand, none of that was ever supposed to happen, she never did any of those kinds of things. She made sure she always met the man on her own terms, not on a friend’s matchmaking, and she only ever brought them to her bed after she felt like she knew them well enough to trust them with her body. Then three weeks ago she broke both of those rules, the combination of alcohol and the charms of that sweet, sweet man enough to drive her to shove him into her apartment and fuck him silly. And the consequence of that decision may just be the largest one she’s ever faced.

Peggy’s phone beeped as the timer finished, and she reached up to grab the two pregnancy tests off of the counter, closing her eyes before she could see the result. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, hoping that her hunch was wrong, hoping that she was just coming down with the flu, but all of those hopes were shattered as she opened her eyes and saw two plus signs staring up at her.

Her stomach churned, unsure if it was because of morning sickness or because of the test results, but Peggy Carter was sure of one thing.

She was pregnant.

~~~~~~~~~

“You’re really pregnant, Peg?” Angie asked, setting a cup of tea down in front of the Brit, sitting down next to her at the kitchen table. The blonde figured it would be needed after her best friend called her, close to tears, telling her the news and asking her to come over.

Peggy nodded. “According to the two tests I took. I’ll have to see a doctor, but…” she trailed off, not really sure what to say next. What was there to say? There was a life growing inside of her, so small and insignificant that she wasn’t sure if it was real yet, but in nine months that life would become a baby, an honest to god baby that would laugh and scream and cry, and that would one day grow up to have a life of their own. What words could quantify that?

Angie broke the silence, sensing that the other woman wouldn't give up any of her thoughts willingly. “And your one night stand, what was his name? You’re sure he’s the father?”

Peggy nodded again. “His name is Daniel. We’ve had a couple of dates since that night, and he’s nice enough, but I don’t—“ she laughed, sounding a bit hysterical, “—I don’t know if he’s ‘father of my child’ nice.”

“Whether he is or not,” Angie set her own cup down, leaning towards Peggy, “are you going to keep this baby?”

Peggy was silent a while, staring into her now cooling tea before whispering, “I don’t know.” Tears welled up in her eyes. Damn hormones.

“Aw, Peg.” Angie’s heart tugged as she saw those unshed tears in her best friend’s eyes. She leaned forward even more, wrapping her arms around Peggy and squeezing. “Whatever you choose, Peg, I’ll be here. Whether you need me to hold your hand in the doctor’s office or you need me to become Auntie to the little one, I’ll be there.”

Those tears now fell as Peggy gripped her friend. “Thank you, Angie. I don’t…” she trailed off again, not knowing how to articulate the gratitude for her friend. At the implication of abortion, Peggy was afraid that Angie would’ve left her to deal with everything alone, but she should’ve known that the little blonde spitfire would be with her through thick and thin.

Once the tears stopped, Angie lifted her head from Peggy’s shoulder, though her hands still stroked down her back. “Maybe I’m jumping the gun a bit here, but it’s something to think about; does he know about the baby?” Her voice was low and soft, but Peggy still tensed up under her hands.

“No… oh lord, I hadn’t thought of that.” Peggy put her head in her hands. “God, what do I say to him?”

“You don’t have to tell nothing if you don’t want to. But if you decide to keep the baby, it might be a discussion you have to have.”

The brunette looked down at her stomach, laying a gentle hand over where the baby was. There the baby sat, just a cluster of cells, but growing rapidly. There was her baby, just waiting to join the world.

_Her_ baby. When had she started thinking that?

She could still go through with termination, could still walk into that clinic and fix this mess forever, but the moment she had thought ‘her baby’ she knew she wouldn’t end the pregnancy. Maybe it was hormones or maternal instincts, but damn it, this was _her baby._

“I think,” Peggy started, taking a steadying breath, “I think I need to call Daniel. I think I’m going to be a mother.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conversation with Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought I was done with this, weren’t you?  
> I tried to write a story for a different prompt but I couldn’t seem to get this scenario out of my head, so here you go!

Peggy waited until after her doctor’s appointment to text Daniel, just to be sure that the home tests were accurate. A smile and some printed sonogram pictures from the technician told her that they were, so a few hours later she found herself sitting on her couch and staring at Daniel’s text conversation, fingers hovering over the keyboard. What should she say to him? She couldn’t tell him over text, that would be inconsiderate, but she also couldn’t be completely flirty and aloof like nothing had happened. So where was the middle ground?

She typed and retyped, finally settling on a simple message. Her thumb hovered over the send button for a moment, steadying her nerves before hitting it.

_Hey Daniel, are you free to get together soon? I would like to discuss something with you._

His reply came a few minutes later.

_Yeah actually, I have tomorrow off, does that work? Where do you wanna meet? And is everything OK?_

Peggy thought a moment. Somewhere neutral so either one could leave at any time. And is everything okay? What will his reaction be?

_Tomorrow works perfectly; would you like to meet at Gino’s at 1:00 for some lunch? And everything is alright, I just need to discuss something with you in person. Nothing to worry about._

That last part may have been a bit of a lie, but in lieu of terrorizing him for the next 24 hours, there wasn’t much else she could say.

_Cool, I’ll see you tomorrow_

Peggy took a deep breath as she set her phone down. The easy part was over, and now came the extremely difficult part of telling him that she was pregnant with his child — and intended to keep it.

God, she was screwed.

~~~~~~~~~

Peggy arrived at Gino’s at a quarter till 1:00, wanting to make sure she got there before him to allow herself some time to prepare. As she slid into a more private booth in the back of the restaurant, she almost balked at the task and ran away. What if he hated her, or, almost worse, was disgusted with her? He didn’t seem like the kind of man to do that, but what did she know? She’s slept with him once and been on three dates.

She blindly stared at the menu, deciding how to tell him. She should be blunt, just say it straight out, like ripping a bandaid off. Then, before he had too much time to let the scary thoughts run around his head, she should make it very clear that he didn’t have to be involved if he doesn’t want to. She was strong, and she could do this by herself, he was in no way obligated to stay with her or the baby.

That’s how she’d do it. Quick, clear, and concise; nothing to be left to the imagination.

Daniel then walked in the door, their eyes meeting, and Peggy managed to smile around the bolt of panic that went through her. She should give up on this, should abort the mission, but then he was sliding into the booth as well and she had no choice but to smile and stick to the plan.

“Hey Peg, how are you?”

This was normal conversation, she could do this. “I’m fine, Daniel, thank you, and you?”

He smiled. “I’m happy to be here.”

Damn him. Damn him and that charming smile and those perfect words, damn him to hell.

In that moment of silence, Daniel cleared his throat and broached the elephant in the room. “So what did you want to discuss with me?”

She swallowed, avoiding his gaze. It was now or never, she had to do it.

“Daniel, there’s something I, something I need to tell you, you need to… I’m pregnant.”

He stared at her, mouth slightly open, and she stared back just as dumbly. That’s not how she meant for that to go.

He put down his menu. “You’re… pregnant?”

She nodded.

“And… you’re sure it’s mine? That’s — that’s not supposed to insult you, but I just — you’re sure?”

Peggy nodded again. “There was no one else, so…”

“And, and I’m assuming by telling me that means you’d keeping it?”

“Yes, I came to that decision a few days ago.”

They were quiet a few moments before she spoke again. “I know this is big, and I’m sure you’re freaking out, but first I want to assure you that you do not have to be involved in any way if you don’t want to. I have the money, the time, and the support to raise this child by myself, so if this isn’t something you’re interested in, I completely understand and won’t hold it against you if you go running for the hills right now. I’m not guilting you or anything, this is truly a get-out-of-jail-free card, no strings attached, no blame. I just thought you should know about the baby, considering it’s yours and I assumed that you would want to know if you have a child out in the world.” She cringed inwardly as she took a breath after her rambling. Get-out-of-jail-free card? Who uses that analogy?

Daniel’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his face unreadable, his voice quiet. “Do you have pictures?”

It took her a moment to realize he was talking about sonogram pictures, so she opened her wallet and pulled one out, placing it on the table. A manicured nail slid it across to him, pointing to a small blob in the corner. “This is the embryo. They say everything looks healthy — at least what they can tell from the picture.”

He stared at the picture for a long while, not looking up as he finally spoke. “I appreciate your offer very much, but… if I want to be involved? Is that… something that’s on the table?”

Peggy blinked. She hadn’t expected this. She’d expected blank stares for hours on end, she’d prepared for temper tantrums and stony silence and screaming and running away, but she hadn’t prepared for such maturity and grace, and she hadn’t even entertained the idea of him being open to wanting to be involved.

“Of-of course you can be involved. You can be involved as much or as little as you’d like, it’s up to you. This is your child, after all, I’m sure we can work something out after the baby is born so that you can be in their life.”

Daniel nodded again, shyly meeting her eyes. “And… if I want to be involved before they’re born? If I want to be there for the pregnancy… and if I want to be there for you… what about that?”

She froze. Now this was something she really hadn’t entertained. Daniel, with her, helping her, being like… a husband. Part of her was screaming, terrified of who might get hurt in the process, but a small sliver of her heart was warmed but the thought of Daniel being there for every craving, every milestone. Apparently that small sliver had control over her brain, because she was already talking before she realized it.

“I think… I think that that would be okay, if that’s what you want.”

A bright smile broke out on Daniel’s face, so bright that she found herself grinning, despite the fact that she was wholly unprepared for everything that just happened, from Daniel being more mature than her to him making himself a permanent fixture in her life, and her easily allowing it.

He tried to hand the sonogram picture back, but she waved him away. “Keep it. I have another one.”

Daniel carefully slid it into his wallet, treating it with such care and gentleness that she felt tears prick her eyes. If that’s how he treated the picture of the embryo, what would he be like with the real baby?

The images of him with a tiny bundle of blankets ran through her mind, driving her to yet another impulse decision. “I have another doctor’s appointment in a few weeks. They say you can hear the heartbeat by then… you could come, if you’re interested.”

Surprise flashed over his features. “I would be honored if you’d let me come. Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

Peggy pulled up her calendar, absentmindedly sharing the details with him as her mind ran a million miles a minute, taking apart every aspect of the conversation she’d just had, wondering exactly when it had spiraled out of her control.

She relived the moment he’d asked to be a part of her pregnancy, and the moment she’d agreed. What had she just gotten herself into?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ultrasound, featuring the heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not a new story but I can’t get this AU out of my mind.

The few weeks until her next appointment flew by, both her and Daniel so busy that they hadn’t been able to see each other since she’d told him she was pregnant. True to his word, he really did want to be involved in her pregnancy, texting her almost every day just to make sure she was alright and to ask if she needed anything. At first she thought he was doing it because of guilt, but in one of their conversations he admitted that he’d gone out and bought a couple of pregnancy books, so he would be prepared for what was happening to both her and their baby. The gesture surprised her, and was so genuine that her hormone addled brain had her crying for a few minutes.

That had been two weeks ago, and now Peggy and Daniel were at her official first trimester sonogram, sitting in a silence that could only be described as heavy. Though the texting had been going great, neither were entirely sure what things were like between them. 

Before Peggy could say anything to break the silence, the doctor knocked and walked in. “Mrs. Carter, and Mr. Carter I’m assuming?”

Peggy shook her head and said “No, no it’s not like that.”

At the same time, Daniel said, “No, it’s Sousa for me, I’m her… boyfriend.”

She froze, not expecting that title to come out of his mouth. She didn’t blame him for blurting out the first thing that made their situation sound at least somewhat normal but… boyfriend. That’s a big step, one that’s she’s not entirely sure she’s ready to take, regardless of the child they now had together.

But the doctor just smiled, oblivious to the whirlwind in Peggy’s mind. “That’s alright. No matter, I’m glad you both are here. This is a big moment for the two of you.”

Peggy couldn’t help herself. “The heartbeat — we’ll be able to hear it today?”

The doctor grinned, snapping gloves onto her hands. “Yes, you’re far enough along that we should be able to pick it up with a Doppler. But in order to do that,” she motioned with her hand, “lift up your shirt.”

Daniel lightly touched her shoulder, silently asking permission to stay. She looked up to where he sat by her head and nodded, giving him a small smile. He simply squeezed her shoulder in thanks before she looked back to the doctor and lifted her shirt.

“This’ll be a little cold,” the doctor said, squeezing the gel onto Peggy’s stomach, smearing it around with the wand.

They were all silent for a minute while the doctor studied the screen intently, finally turning it towards them and pointing towards a blob on the screen, now much bigger than it was a few weeks ago. “There’s the embryo, probably looking a little different than at your four week ultrasound.”

Peggy nodded emphatically, not trusting her voice. She looked up at Daniel who also seemed to be filled with emotion, not ever glancing away from the screen.

She wasn’t sure how long she stared at that little blob, the little thing that would someday become her child, but suddenly a whooshing sound filled the room, and immediately Peggy knew what that was.

“It’s—“ she whispered, breath catching in her throat.

“That’s the heartbeat,” the doctor murmured, clicking a few keys until the pulse showed up on the screen.

Peggy didn’t know what to think or feel. A part of her felt blinding love for her baby, another part felt as though all of this was a dream, but that heartbeat filling her ears proved that wrong. Another part of her wanted to protect that child with every living fiber of her being, and yet another part of her wanted to run away and never look back, the part of her that doubted that she could be someone’s mother.

Without thinking, she reached up for Daniel’s hand and entwined their fingers, relishing in the sturdy warmth he provided, though if she looked up she would’ve saw all the same emotions flashing across his features.

The doctor pulled the wand away from her stomach and the heartbeat disappeared, Peggy feeling wholly incomplete without that sound in her ears. The towel placed on her stomach brought her back to reality, where the doctor was already printing out pictures. 

“Everything looks really good on the ultrasound, and that heartbeat is strong. When you’re ready, I’ll have you schedule an appoint for five weeks from now, but for now take your time in here.” She put the pictures on the counter besides the bed and moved the monitor closer to the couple. “Call me if you have any questions.” And with that, she left the room.”

Daniel, who’d been silent through the whole thing, suddenly spoke. “It’s all so real now. I mean before, I knew you were pregnant and all, but now… there’s a heartbeat. It’s real. We have a kid.”

She looked up at him, their fingers still entwined. “Changing your mind about running for the hills?” It was meant as a joke, but a true question ran underneath her joking tone. Did he want to stay? Or was this too much?

He just smiled down at her, squeezing her hand. “Never.” He was silent a beat, looking back at the monitor before saying, “I’m sorry I called myself your boyfriend. I just don’t know what we are, and so in the moment I said the first thing that came to mind.”

She thought a moment, carefully choosing her words. “I’m not ready for it yet, but… give me a couple of weeks. I like you Daniel, I really do, and not just because we have a child together.”

They huffed out a laugh before she continued. “I think I’d like a relationship with you, something more than a one night stand that ended in a baby. I think I could call myself your girlfriend, but… just give me a few weeks, to sort through everything. And then I’ll be ready.”

He gazed at her, marveled by the woman before him. “Take all the time you need, Peg. I’m not going anywhere.”

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt happens to fit perfectly with one of my head cannons and I want to continue writing it, but on the other hand I also have like 15 wips, so to be continued maybe??


End file.
